“Drain is not responsible for anything you do in the next 30 minutes,” the backdrop reads. A lighthearted quip meant to encourage moshing, but perhaps also a warning to those who are unfamiliar with the energy at a Drain show, which is palpable.
Men, women, and children crowdsurf their way over the barricade. An inflatable lounge float emerges from the pit, carrying its rider up to the stage. Palm trees and life preservers flank towers of amps. The packed house at times moves as one, with vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro at the helm.
This is Drain. The hardcore outfit from Santa Cruz blazing a trail through the punk and metal scene, a party boat in a sea of black t-shirts and jeans, Drain wants to be your friend. In fact, given the title of their most recent album (and this tour), Drain is your friend.
Playing to a sold-out crowd at Houston’s Bad Astronaut Brewing Company, a relatively new venue to the Houston music scene that has quickly become a staple, Drain thrashes through a blistering setlist including songs off all three of their albums.
“Feel the Pressure,” the first track off of their debut record California Cursed, instantly sends the room into a frenzy. Crowdsurfers immediately begin emerging from the throng, while the band moves about the stage as if possessed. Less than a minute into the show, Ciaramitaro hurls himself into the fervent crowd, passing around the mic to anyone in the vicinity to belt out the words.
The band (Ciaramitaro, guitarist Cody Chavez, and drummer Tim Flegal, joined by Greg Cerwonka on bass) is joined on stage throughout the show by their iconic kewpie mascot, a playful foil to the moshing crowd below. Towards the end of the set, during a cover of the Descendents “Good Good Things,” Ciaramitaro rides a massive surf board across the venue to the sound booth and back, carried by eagerly awaiting fans.
The band wraps up the show with “California Cursed,” a two-and-a-half-minute long thrasher. Before the song begins, Ciaramitaro addresses the venue security (who have been working overtime catching all the moshers) saying “you should call for backup,” before telling the crowd that he wants 100 people to surf over the barricade before the last note is played. How many made it over is anyone’s guess, there were too many to count.
ALL PHOTOS BY MORGAN ROSENBAUM FOR OFF RECORD MEDIA
I'm a Houston-based concert and automotive photographer. I've been a music fan my whole life, and previously was the director for Coog Radio, the University of Houston's student radio station. I listen to a bit of everything, from blues to rock to EDM, but predominantly metal. Some favorites include Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. When I'm not behind the camera, you can catch me skating, going to car events, and buying too many coffee table books.
